


Small steps towards something

by the_milky_way



Series: 25 Days of Buck and Eddie [1]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: 25 Days of Fic, Caring Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Cuddling & Snuggling, Getting Together, M/M, POV Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Pre-Relationship, Relaxing, Soft Boys, Soft Kisses, Sort Of, bobby nash knows, prompts, sleepy evan "buck" buckley
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:34:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27823075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_milky_way/pseuds/the_milky_way
Summary: His fingers slip between the soft pages of the book he’s reading. He likes the feel of it, the paper against his fingertips, the way the pages slide into place after he’s turned them. So sue him, he prefers reading books on paper instead of on e-reader or cellphone screens. It just does something for him, calms him down, gets him immersed in the story. Immersed so much that it takes him a while to hear the sniggers coming from across the loft.orBuck falls asleep on Eddie at the station and Eddie has to deal with the consequences
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: 25 Days of Buck and Eddie [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2036098
Comments: 42
Kudos: 512
Collections: 9-1-1 Tales





	Small steps towards something

**Author's Note:**

> 25 days of Buck and Eddie:
> 
> Prompts Day 1  
> "relaxing"  
> "Buck falling asleep on Eddie"

His fingers slip between the soft pages of the book he’s reading. He likes the feel of it, the paper against his fingertips, the way the pages slide into place after he’s turned them. So sue him, he prefers reading books on paper instead of on e-reader or cellphone screens. It just does something for him, calms him, gets him immersed in the story. Immersed so much apparently that it takes him a while to register the sniggers coming from across the loft.

He doesn’t know why he lets himself be pulled in by it, because the chapter is riveting and he’d rather get it finished before the next call leaves him with a cliffhanger yet again. But he looks up to from the page only to be faced with Chim and Hen watching him curiously. Not the first time this has happened, but something in the way they watch him makes him… well, twitchy for a lack of a better word. The stare-off holds for a minute or two before he gets annoyed with the stupidity of it.

“What?” And yes, he sounds gumpy. Because he is. 

“Wanna tell us something?” Hen hedges, eyebrows raised and a knowing smile on her lips. He doesn’t get what she’s hinting at. He isn’t in the mood for playing games.

“No.” 

He finds his place on the page again and gets back to reading. He makes it maybe halfway down the page when Chim squawks loudly. This is going to be a long shift, he just knows it.

“Seriously? That’s it. Just a No?”

“What else do you want to hear?” he says, still trying to go on with his reading but at the same time knows it’s not going to happen right now. He can pretend, though. Maybe they’ll leave him be then. He has managed to relax so nicely during the last hour that he hates for it to end because his colleagues - well, his friends really - are being annoying for no reasons.

“Uh.. Eddie? You are aware that Buck’s draped all over your lap, cuddling you like there is no tomorrow, fast asleep and drooling, right?”

No, actually he wasn’t. Huh. Explains the weight on his thigh then as well as the fingers twisted in his shirt. And how his left hand has been busy combing through soft curls all the while he was reading. Oh. Well, okay then. 

“He’s been tired. Not sleeping so well lately.” 

It’s a good explanation he thinks. This book is so damn fascinating and he really, really wants to go back to reading. Can he, please? One dared glance up and towards Chim tells him it’s still a no-go for now. Great. And of course, there is a cliffhanger at the end of the page. Eddie sighs, slips his bookmark between the pages, closes the book and lets it rest next to him on the couch.

Buck snuffles against his stomach, mumbles something unintelligible and curls even further into Eddie. His entire body relaxes back into sleep when Eddie continues to slide his fingers through his hair. 

“And how exactly do you know that fact?” Chim tries to dig deeper. For what Eddie isn’t sure. Well, no. That’s not right, he does know. He just doesn’t want to deal with it right now. He mournfully looks at his book and hopes he can get back to it soon. It’s really good.

“He is my best friend, Chim.” It should be enough of an explanation. It does explain a lot of things. Eddie doesn’t want to hand them more. It’s not fair to Buck. It's not fair to him. Not right now. But the way Chim, and Hen, too, watch him - observe his hand in Buck’s curls, Eddie knows it’s not enough anymore.

He also knows it hasn’t been enough for a while. But neither he nor Buck have been ready to take that step yet. Still fleetingly moving towards each other only to lean back again, never quite making it. As frustrating as it can be, it’s also sort of exhilarating. This feeling of “what if”, of “maybe, yes”. They’ll get there in their own time, if they are meant to arrive at the same place. He sure as hell doesn’t want anybody pushing them when they aren’t ready. Not even his friends who are currently still staring at him as if he is the stupidest person on this planet. He takes a little offence at that.

Bobby calling them to help with dinner sort of dissolves the weird kind of tension that had descended upon them. Chim huffs but dutifully trots his way over to the kitchen. Hen lingers, apology ready on her lips but Eddie just shakes his head. It’s okay in one way even if it’s not in others. She gets it though, lets her hand slide over his shoulder when she leaves as well. They don’t mean it in a bad way, Eddie knows this. They care, they want them happy. But sometimes they can’t seem to get that Buck and him need to get it done at their own pace.

Eddie cranes his neck to see if Bobby is expecting him to come as well, but the second he catches the captain’s eye he knows that Bobby knows where Buck is right now. Probably has the entire time and decided to interrupt the looming interrogation at the perfect moment. Eddie dips his head in silent thanks, curves his lips up a little when Bobby actually rolls his eyes. They have a few more minutes to relax, Buck and him.

“Thanks,” is whispered against his belly. Buck is tense, coiled even, in his lap. He hates that the softness, the peacefulness is gone now. Eddie decides to take the full time Bobby has just granted them to help Buck relax again.

He knows that Buck expects him to stop, to not acknowledge that his best friend is basically curled up in his lap and that he has been petting him the entire time. But for once Eddie has had enough of taking a step back instead of maintaining that status quo or god forbid even move forward. He wants to move, wants them to move together. 

So he just curls his fingers a little, starts scratching at tender skin and smiles when Buck all but flops back onto him with the way his body succumbs. Buck gradually relaxes again, snuffles a bit and blinks his eyes open to carefully look up at Eddie.

“Yeah?” 

Soft whisper, nothing more than a breath tickling warmly where his work-shirt meets Buck’s cheek. A question but a confirmation at the same time. With Eddie’s fingers buried in Buck’s curls, Buck’s head in his lap and Buck’s own fingers now sliding gently up and down Eddie’s flank, they are on the same page, taking a step together.

There hadn’t been something to tell, when Chim and Hen asked, maybe there isn’t something to tell right now either. Yet. But there will be. In this particular moment Eddie’s pretty sure of it. So he leans down, just a little, not much, and presses his lips softly against Buck’s temple. Breathes a low “yeah” against the warm skin and grins when Buck snorts a little. Happy blue eyes, wide awake now meeting his own. It’s not the way he imagined nor the situation or the place Eddie thought this would happen, but he isn’t complaining. Not at all. Not when Buck sighs, closes his eyes again and promptly falls back asleep. Still in Eddie’s lap, still snuggled all up with his face pressed against Eddie’s stomach.

When Bobby comes, later then Eddie expected, to get them, he smiles way too knowingly. But doesn’t say a word. Only when they are all settled at the table does he let them know that paperwork is ready on his table if they should need it. No one even dares to say a mocking word. Conversation slides over to mundane topics, leaving Eddie to process, to file away. And when Buck’s knee gently presses against his thigh, Eddie thinks that paperwork might not be signed today - but soon. Buck’s hopeful look says the same.

**Author's Note:**

> So I haven't done this kind of challenge in ages (10 years, OMG). I really hope to actually manage all 25 days and have fun along the way. 
> 
> And last but not least, thanks so much A. for at least going over this and pointing ouf some things. The rest of the mistakes are of course all mine.


End file.
